Unrequited
by Mitsuki.Butterfly
Summary: Nights they spent together were lonely ones indeed. One-sided Borra oneshot.


_**Author's Note: I forgot to enable anonymous reviews D: Sorry about that, they're enabled now.**_

It was the third time that week they'd had sex, and it felt like the millionth time they'd done it overall. And every single time, Bolin

would drive Korra over the edge of ecstasy and she would call out not his name, but that of his older brother. Sometimes she

would scream Mako's name, and other times it was just a sad whisper. And though she had said it thousands of times during their

nights together, Bolin never got used to the feeling of inadequacy that ached in his chest after the name escaped her beautiful

lips. This time, Bolin had deluded himself into thinking that he'd finally done something right, and that maybe, just maybe, Korra

was falling for him. The way that she crossed her calves across the small of his back, holding him closer than thought possible and

urging him to never stop. The tender kisses she planted along his square jaw. The way she dug her nails into his thick, muscular

biceps. But as she reached her climax, she let forth a low keening "Ma…ko." And that was it for Bolin. He'd tried so hard to please

Korra, to prove to her that he could love her just as well as Mako could. But after that single word, those two syllables, Bolin no

longer had the passion left to reach his own completion. He climbed off of the young avatar and rolled over on his bed, praying to

the spirits that she wouldn't see the hot tears rolling down his cheeks. With a murmured thanks and a chaste peck on the cheek,

Korra was gone, only the warm spot on the bed and her lingering scent left any evidence that she'd been there at all. And just as

he'd done nearly every night, Bolin would sit at the edge of his bed, mentally kicking himself for allowing himself to be strung

along.

Since Korra had returned from the clutches of Tarlokk, she was stuck in an emotional daze. Nothing would console her except

Mako. And when she would silently slip into Bolin's bed, he knew in his heart it was Mako she was kissing, touching, holding. Not

him. He was just an easy replacement. A stand-in for something she could never obtain. A crutch. Nothing more. But for some

reason, he was okay with that. _Maybe I'm a masochist?_ The earth-bender would wonder to himself during those few nights he

really was alone. Maybe it was that he was truly convinced that, with time, Korra would get over his older brother. And Bolin would

be there for her with open arms. Even though he pushed the truth to the deep recesses of his brain, he knew that it was an

impossible scenario. _Mako is everything I'm not_ he would remind himself. _Be thankful she even gives you the time of day. _Bolin craved

a real relationship with Korra, one with holding hands, and anniversaries and sweet-nothings. But, since she had no romantic

feeling towards him, the farthest it would ever progress would be friends with benefits. The two were manipulating each other for

their own selfish purposes, but never spoke of their arrangement. It was an unspoken agreement formed after one night when

Bolin threatened to leave Republic City out of sheer desperation. Of course, Korra did everything in her power to convince him to

stay, which just happened to be sex. She offered him her body in an attempt just as desperate as Bolin's. "Korra, there's nothing

you can do about it," Bolin had whispered with a melancholy smirk. "If you don't love me, you don't love me." Korra's eyes were

alive with panic. "Please Bolin, please don't leave me! I could learn to love you, I really could! Just please don't leave!" she had

cried, forcefully sitting in his lap. Bolin struggled to resist the gorgeous avatar's pleas, but as soon as her clothes were gone,

nothing in the universe even existed except Korra. Her shoulder-length tresses cascaded down her bare, dusky back with a flick of

her wrist. Bathed in the moonlight, Bolin had been convinced a goddess was offering herself to him. How could he refuse

attentions from the love of his life? Secretly, the two saw that their arrangement was not mutually beneficial for the both of them.

Every time they were together, Korra yearned even more for Mako and, as that yearning grew, Bolin tried even harder to win her

over. In the heat of the moment, it seemed they were doing nothing wrong. But as soon as it was over, the two parted ways, so

bogged down with their own guilt that not even two words could be uttered between them. Neither of them thought it would ever

happen again. However, during those too-few moments of lust, there was so pain, no unrequited love. So this continued, and

Bolin saw it as an opportunity to prove himself worthy to Korra. He made an effort to please her first and foremost, and slipped in

romantic gestures whenever possible: stroking her hair, hugging her tightly, quiet mentions of "I love you"'s. But Korra either

didn't notice or chose to ignore his proclamations, for she would just nod her head nonchalantly.

_I'm so weak_ Bolin thought, Korra's muttered words of gratitude still echoing in his ears. Often, Bolin had compared their twisted

relationship to that of a flea on a polarbear-dog. Although Bolin reprimanded himself for letting Korra do that to him, he knew he

couldn't stop. He was addicted to her: her laugh, her beauty, her sexuality, her courage, her strength. He needed her more than

air, and because of that, it hurt all the more when she didn't reciprocate the feelings. And their evening routine would occur again

the next night, and the night after that. And every night for who knows how long. And Bolin would let her seduce him, and cringe

when the fire-bender's name was moaned. He would tell her how gorgeous she looked just then. He would tell her he loved her

all the way to the moon and back. He would grasp her perfect face in his large bender's hands and describe his love for her in

every way he could think of. And she would sigh dejectedly, say thanks, kiss him on the cheek, and leave him, bare and broken-

hearted in his dark bedroom.


End file.
